Seedling
by milesprower06
Summary: In the days after the victory over the Meterex, Tails struggles to come to terms with the cost of that victory, and puts every effort into helping Cosmo's seed grow.
1. A Broken Heart

Seedling

by milesprower06

Chapter 1

A Broken Heart

Tails jolted up in his bed. He saw a flash of lightning from the window outside, immediately followed by a clap of thunder. He looked around frantically, taking a few moments to confirm he was in his room. He missed it the first time, so he did a double take at the figure standing at his desk by the window.

"Cosmo!"

Tails woke up in a sweat. He got up a bit more slowly than the last time, and quickly looked over at his desk. It was still raining heavily outside. His window was open about 4 inches.

On the desk in front of the window, was a clay flower pot, with a young stem protruding through the soil, it's two leaves shuddering in the wind.

Tails jumped out of bed, ran over to his desk, and shut the window, then studied the plant worriedly. It had taken a few droplets of rain, and it didn't seem to be damaged by the wind. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry about that, Cosmo." he whispered.

Staring at the plant and the sound of her name again brought him back to what had happened just a week ago...

"_Please...shoot me, Tails."_

His bottom lip quivered, as he suppressed a sob. He had been trying for several days now not to cry; to try and come to terms with what he had done, and to put all his effort into recovering from it, and helping this plant grow.

After all, he was certain that doing just that was the key to bringing her back.

Down in the valley, at the base of the mountain in the house he shared with Amy Rose, Sonic looked out the window as lightning illuminated the forested mountain that was home to the Mystic Ruins, as well as Tails' home and workshop.

Amy came up behind Sonic as he stared at the mountain from the house's front window.

"Hey, you alright?" she asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sonic said, glancing at her momentarily, before returning his gaze to the mountain.

Amy came to his side and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure he's fine, Sonic."

The blue hedgehog's gaze fell to the floor, and he didn't reply to Amy's reassurance. He knew Tails wasn't fine. Not after what happened.

"_I looked everywhere for Cosmo, but all I found was this..."_

After the Meterex planet had been destroyed with the Sonic Driver, Sonic had immediately performed Chaos Regeneration to try and restore Cosmo.

All it had produced was a white seed, which he gave to the already traumatized Tails.

It devastated him.

The Blue Typhoon had made it's journey back home without the twin-tailed fox at the helm. He spent nearly all of the flight home in his room aboard the vessel. He wouldn't see anyone. After they had landed and Chris had returned home, Sonic went to see his friend. He had just finished planting the seed in a small clay pot, and was watering it a bit by his window. It looked like it hadn't slept in days.

"I'm gonna go see him in the morning." Sonic announced to Amy, the storm outside continuing.

"He said he wanted to be alone." Amy said. Sonic gave a slightly frustrated sigh.

"Yeah, I know what he said. But I'm gonna keep trying. He shouldn't be alone in a time like this."

When Tails swiftly dismissed Sonic upon his arrival that night a week ago, he had noticed a stack of books on plants and gardening on his desk, several of them open. This tragedy had turned him from mechanic to gardener overnight.

Sonic, as well as everyone else, hoped along with him that the plant was the key to bringing Cosmo back; that the Chaos Regeneration was just the first step.

He didn't want to think what it would do to Tails if the outcome was anything else.

"Believe me, Amy, I want Cosmo back as much as he does."

"As much as he does? You know I don't believe that, and I don't think you do either. Cosmo meant more to Tails than everyone else combined. Sometimes a broken heart takes a long time to heal. I'd like him to come to stay with us for a bit too, Sonic, but I'm afraid that your persistence is just gonna drive him further away." Amy said, turning and walking back up the stairs.

"No," Sonic began, as he looked up at the Mystic Ruins one last time before following her up the stairs.

"My persistence is gonna convince him that he still has friends who love him."


	2. A Change of Atmosphere

Seedling

by milesprower06

Chapter 2

A Change of Atmosphere

Tails had gotten an early start the next morning, and was sitting at his desk, busy with a gardening book, when there was a gentle knock on his front door.

"Tails? Can I come in?"

The fox glanced at the door, half-annoyed, half-admirable of the hedgehog's tenacity.

"Yeah. Door's unlocked."

The doorknob rotated, clicked, and the door opened to reveal none other than Sonic.

Tails gave him a small smile before returning to his book.

"G'morning, buddy. How're ya doing?"

"I'm hanging in there." Tails replied, not diverting his attention away a second time. Sonic approached the desk and stood beside him, eying the plant in the morning sun.

"Looks like it's coming along great! Who knew you had a green thumb, you mechanic, you?"

Tails looked up at him again silently, and Sonic got the message that he wasn't in the mood for his jokes still. So he got serious.

"Listen pal, I thought you could stay with me and Amy a few days. You're more than welcome in our home."

"Thanks, Sonic, but I'm fine up here."

Sonic paused for a second in his words – a feat for him. He recalled what Amy told him on the way out the door this morning.

"_Tread carefully, Sonic."_

"Well, I beg to differ. You don't look like you're fine and you smell even worse. You haven't slept or showered in days. I really think you could use a change of atmosphere."

Tails got up, and fingered through his stack of books. Sonic sensed his patience was being tested, rather quickly. Still, he wasn't giving up this time.

"Sonic, please leave. I'm busy. I said I'm fine."

Sonic stood where he was and crossed his arms.

"Miles Prower, I'm not taking no for an answer. Cosmo wouldn't want you-"

Tails spun around and faced Sonic, with something of a desperate fury in his eyes.

"You don't know what she would want! Why can't you just leave me alone? What do you want?" he screamed, before breaking into tears. He unclenched his fists, and his shoulders and arms fell limp in surrender, as he lowered his head and cried.

Sonic came to him, gently put his arms around him in a reassuring hug and held him close, letting the fox sob into his shoulder.

"Listen, bud. I know it hurts. What you're going through I wouldn't wish on anyone. I know you can't even begin to describe what you're feeling"

Tails continued to cry, not resisting Sonic's embrace.

"But that doesn't mean we can't help. You're worrying everyone sick down there. I'll leave if you really, really want me to. But know that I really, really want you come stay with Amy and me for a little bit. Please, pal...please. Don't shut your friends out."

He held his friend as he continued to cry for another minute, after which he broke the embrace, sniffled, and silently nodded, wiping the last tears from his eyes.

"Okay." he whispered, his voice hoarse.

Sonic gave him a warm smile.

"Thank you. It means a lot to us, and so do you." he told him.

The fox turned to the plant, studying it some more.

"And I wouldn't dream of taking you without the plant. I'll even fly the X-Tornado down so you can keep it safe."

"I think it's a tree."Tails said, grabbing the pot with both hands and picking it up with the greatest care.

"Which means the pot's not big enough. I need to replant it. But it's way too windy up here."

"Well, tell ya what. If it gets you to stay, you can have any spot in the yard you want, Tails."

"Really?"

Sonic gave him a thumbs up.

"Absolutely."

Tails bit his lower lip, and his gaze fell to his floor, as more tears fell down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry for shutting everyone out." he apologized, holding the pot gently in his quivering hands.

Sonic walked over to him and put his arms on his shoulders.

"Don't worry about it. We're gonna make this right."

Tails looked at the plant, and then met Sonic's gaze.

"Thanks, Sonic."

"So, are ya ready to go?" he asked.

Tails nodded, Sonic put his arm reassuringly around his shoulder, and together, they walked out of the house towards the workshop, where the X-Tornado was waiting.


	3. A Warm Welcome

Seedling

by milesprower06

Chapter 3

A Warm Welcome

Tails gently but firmly held the clay flowerpot in his lap as he looked at the passing forests below. He had to admit, it already felt a little better, getting out of his house, out of the mountains. They started to slowly descend out of the sky towards the valley as they neared their destination.

They soon landed out on the left side of Amy's house, which she was currently sharing with Sonic, and the cockpit window slid back, and fresh cool air greeted the pair as they got out of the plane, Tails did so more carefully due to his flowerpot he had in his arms.

The two of them walked up the front walk to the front door, where Sonic opened the front door and invited Tails in. He walked into the house and noticed the redecorating the two of them had been doing.

Or rather, more likely, that Amy had been doing.

Tails gently set the plant on the coffee table just before Amy came in from the kitchen. She managed to keep in a gasp when she saw the condition he was in; his messy, unkempt fur, and the circles around his eyes from the lack of sleep. Instead, she looked at him, and gave him a warm, reassuring smile. She came forward and hugged him.

"It's good to see you, Tails." she said. He returned the embrace.

"Sorry if I need to shower" he said, becoming aware of his poor hygiene the past week.

"Don't worry yourself with it. The guest room is ready and waiting for you, but you do whatever you need to do to relax, you hear me?"

Tails nodded, and managed a slight smile.

"I think a shower would help right now, thanks."

"Well, have at it, sweetheart. Lunch'll be ready by the time you're done."

Tails left the plant where it was on the coffee table, and went down the hall to the last room on the left. The door already open, he was greeted by a freshly-made twin bed, a night stand, and a chair and desk. And on the connecting wall was the guest bathroom. There was no need to turn the bedroom light on yet, as the curtains were open on the single window, and thus provided the room with plenty of natural light.

Tails sat down on the bed and took his shoes and socks off, followed by his wrist bands and gloves, and set them all in a neat pile beside the night stand. Hopping off the bed, he walked to the guest bathroom and flipped the light on. He walked to the bathtub and rotated the pair of faucets. Water gushed out, and Tails made minor adjustments until he got it to the lukewarm temperature of his liking. He climbed into the tub, stepping into the centimeter of standing water, closed the curtain, and pulled the shower valve.

The gushing water faucet died down quickly as the water flow was diverted to the shower head, and steady streams of water rained down on the twin-tailed fox. Tails closed his eyes and let the water run down his fur, already feeling a little more relaxed. With each deep breath he took, a little of the anxiety that had been building up went out with each exhalation. As the steam started to fill the shower, he grabbed the bottle of soap and a washcloth, and went about scrubbing his whole body, removing the week's worth of sweat and grime that had come without showering regularly.

After about 15 minutes, Tails shut off the water, let himself drip for a moment, and then shook himself to remove as much excess water as possible before drawing the curtain back and getting out of the shower.

He grabbed a towel and began drying off what wetness remained. As he finished with his head and neck, Tails paused and looked at himself in the mirror above the sink. He focused on his sky blue eyes; not even his twin tails surpassed his eyes as his favorite feature of himself.

_'Why'd you let yourself get like that, Tails? You worried your friends, you could've easily made yourself sick, and the plant is as healthy as can be. So why worry?'_

Tails smiled at his reflection, and it in turn smiled right back. Sure, the sadness would remain for a time, but he could still follow his conscience's advice and take care of himself.

He came back to his room, and put his socks, shoes, and gloves back on. He went down the hall to the kitchen, where Sonic was already waiting at the table, and Amy was just bringing a pot of macaroni and cheese off the stove onto a set of potholders on the table. Tails took a seat at his place, and saw, next to the empty glass bowl, was a piece of mint candy, wrapped in clear plastic. Tails smiled again; Amy had remembered his favorite treat, and was honestly trying to make him as comfortable as she possibly could.

Once she set it on the table, Amy grabbed a ladle and served up equal portions to the three bowls. Tails ate earnestly; he hadn't given himself a hot home-cooked meal since he left the Blue Typhoon.

They asked him how his workshop was, and he told them is was alright, even though he hadn't touched it since he had gotten back. He helped himself to seconds, and when he finished that, he untwisted the plastic wrap from the piece of mint candy and popped it into his mouth.

"Thanks for lunch, Amy."

"Don't mention it. I hope it's the first of many with you over here."

Tails took his bowl, spoon, and glass to the sink, and went and got his plant from the coffee table, and went to the back yard. He set it on the patio table, and went about looking around the back yard, looking for the perfect spot to plant it. He didn't want to disturb Amy's yard too much in his search, but he wanted to make sure the soil was good, and that it got just the right amounts of sun and shade.

Amy had watched the first 20 minutes of his efforts from the kitchen window as she did dishes. Afterward, she joined him in the back yard with a watering pot, and tended to her various flowerbeds around the perimeter of the house.

When Tails finally selected a spot; pretty much the center of the yard about 15 feet out from the brick patio, the sun was already beginning to set. He had truly surprised himself; he spent more than half the day in the backyard getting the perfect area for his plant. So he thought it best to wait until morning.

Breathing in a few more breaths of evening air, Tails stepped back inside the house to get ready for bed.


	4. Deep Inside

Seedling

by milesprower06

Chapter 4

Deep Inside

His fists were clenched and throbbing. His chest was heaving. His body felt as hot as fire. All around him, blackness stretched to infinity.

He looked all around him, finding nothing, and then, he looked to his feet, and wanted to scream at what he saw.

Laying at his feet, was a badly hurt Sonic, looking like he had taken a beating.

_'Wh-what happened? Did...did I...?'_

As he stared at Sonic, the heat, the fire inside grew hotter. It urged him to go into a rage, to lash out at something, _anything_.

The only one around was Sonic.

In a half-scared, half-enraged cry, Tails lunged forward with his foot, delivering a swift kick to Sonic's chest, sending him a good 15 feet before he came crashing to the invisible ground. Tails stood his ground, fists clenched. He had no idea what was happening, but unleashing this building fury on Sonic seemed to be the only thing that helped.

Sonic coughed up blood, and slowly pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. He turned to look at Tails, blood trickling from his mouth and dripping from his chin.

"Tails...buddy, I'm sorry. I really am. I tried. I tried to save her..."

The fire threatening to engulf him from the inside, Tails charged the hedgehog again, wanting to tear him limb from limb just for mentioning her.

As he closed in, Sonic's attention snapped elsewhere, to something beyond Tails. Just as he was about to strike, Tails noticed that Sonic was not attempting to protect himself, and was looking intently at something behind him. Tails stopped and turned to look, and his eyes widened.

The Blue Typhoon hovered above them in the black void, pointed directly at them. The top manifolds gave way, allowing the Sonic Driver Cannon to rise up into position. It was aimed directly at the pair on the ground. Tails' heart slammed against his chest as the cannon began to glow.

Then, the instant before it fired, before that deafening bang, Tails heard a dark, emotionless mechanical voice from within the cannon.

"_Murderer"_

Tails bolted up in bed with a scream. He looked around frantically, before realizing he was in the guest room at Amy's house. The light was on, and there was Amy, at his bedside. Sonic was in the doorway. They both looked worried.

"You alright, sweetheart? We could hear you upstairs."

Tails looked to Amy, and then to Sonic, to those emerald green eyes, that held no anger, no regret. Only worry.

Tails burst into tears. Amy tried her best to comfort the distraught fox.

"It's alright, hun. It was only a nightmare." she said soothingly, rubbing his back, trying to calm him down.

His whole body was trembling. Both Sonic and Amy had hoped that a change of atmosphere would help him sleep easier, but it seemed that his subconscious wasn't going to let him move on so quickly.

It took the twin-tailed fox a minute to calm down, afterwards, he got up, and began to make his way to the door.

"You guys can go back to bed. Sorry I woke you up. Don't stay up on my account. I'm gonna make something to eat."

"Are you gonna try to go back to sleep?" Sonic asked. Tails shook his head.

"After that? No, not tonight."

Tails made his way past Sonic, not making eye contact with his best friend, and walked to the kitchen. As they heard Tails put on a teapot on the stove, Sonic and Amy exchanged glances, and Sonic shrugged. There really was nothing they could do. Before ascending the stairs back up to their room, Sonic gave one last look to the kitchen doorway, giving off an amber light to the adjacent rooms.

_'Be strong, buddy.'_


	5. A Lesson In Chaos

Seedling

by milesprower06

Chapter 5

A Lesson In Chaos

The next morning, Sonic and Amy came down to find the kitchen table empty. A teacup was in the sink, rinsed out. They heard rustling in the back yard, and went to find Tails kneeling at his chosen planting spot, with a bag of soil, the plant, and a small gardening shovel.

"G'morning, buddy" Sonic greeted. Tails turned and waved briefly. For just running on four hours of sleep, he looked a little better.

Sonic took a moment to look at the bag of soil next to Tails. He noted it seemed like a high quality mix.

"Well, we'll let you finish out here. Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

"Okay. Thanks, Sonic."

Sonic and Amy went back into the house, and Tails finished preparing the small hole. Turning to the clay pot, he very carefully dug his fingers down around the plant, taking care to disturb the roots as little as he could. Slowly lifting up, the lump of soil in his interlocked fingers gave way, small tidbits falling down his hands back to the remnants in the pot. He slowly turned and brought it over to his newly formed hole in Amy's yard and placed it in very gently, then filled in any space with the soil from the bag.

Once finished, he managed a smile, satisfied with his work, just as the sun was coming up. He set the shovel on the stone patio and went in to wash up for breakfast. When he got to the kitchen, eggs, toast, and juice had been served at the table.

"How are ya doin' after last night, buddy?" Sonic asked.

"Alright, I guess" Tails replied.

"If you ever want to talk about it, we're here for you." Amy added.

"I don't know. Maybe I just need to give it time."

Tails began into his breakfast, giving him a little energy, being a little drained from the lack of sleep. As he ate, he started to feel that it would help to get these feelings out into the open.

"Sonic, I think deep down, at least in my subconscious, part of me wants to blame you for what happened." he paused, and not getting an immediate reaction out of either hedgehog at the table, continued.

"And in my heart I don't want to; I know it's not right. If anything, it's my fault what happened."

"Tails, don't say things like that. It's no one's fault what happened." Amy said, a bit surprised at the two-tailed fox.

"Amy, I pulled the trigger. My action had the most direct consequence. I killed her."

That last sentence sparked anger in the pink hedgehog. She got up from her place at the table.

"Now listen here. You did _not_ kill Cosmo. She sacrificed herself for the good of the galaxy. You're here to relax. If you want to wallow in self-pity you can make your way back up the mountain, because I won't have it in this house."

And with that, Amy left the table and exited the kitchen.

"Amy-" Sonic called, but she didn't reply as she went upstairs.

Tails sighed, staring at the plate of food in front of him.

"Maybe I should leave." he said.

Sonic got up and walked around the table and took Tails' hand.

"Come with me."

The fox followed Sonic out to the back patio.

"Listen buddy. If...if you need to blame me for what happened to Cosmo; if that helps you feel better, even for a little bit, go ahead. I won't hold it against you."

Now Tails was shocked.

"Wha-? No. No! Never. Sonic, you're my best friend. If anything, _you're_ the reason we're at this point. Your Chaos Regeneration is what produced the seed in the first place. I could never consciously blame you."

Sonic took in Tails' comments for a moment.

"Wait here, I'll be right back."

Sonic returned a minute later, approached Tails, grabbed his wrist, held it out out, and into his hand, he placed the yellow chaos emerald.

Tails looked at Sonic.

"What do you want me to do with this?"

"Just...hold it. Feel that energy? Let it move through you, become familiar with it. Let your body attune to it."

Tails stared at the glimmering, glowing gem in his hand. He exhaled, and the energy concentrated in his hand moved up his arm slowly, and with each breath, spread through his body. As this energy spread in him, he once again thought back to the nightmare last night, and suddenly, the spreading energy grew very hot, very similar to that burning rage he felt last night. With a gasp, he dropped the gem, and took a staggered step backwards.

The emerald hit the patio, and wobbled momentarily before coming to rest on it's top facet. Sonic bent down to pick it up.

"Okay, now try again."

"Wh-what? Why?" Tails asked, still a bit shaken from what he just felt.

"What do you think just happened?" Sonic calmly asked his friend.

"The...the energy. It grew hot...angry, like I was in my nightmare."

"And it did that, why?"

"Because, that's what I thought about."

Sonic led Tails over to the patio table, and sat down with him in the pair of chairs on either side, setting the emerald on the table, still glowing.

"Exactly. The Chaos Emeralds turn our thoughts into power. Negative thoughts turn into negative energy. And the negative energy is easier to access than the true power. That's why you have to be careful. But I want you to keep practicing. Learn to harness that energy."

"With all these feelings inside me right now, you think that's a good idea?"

"I think it'll help you put things into perspective."

Sonic got up, and walked halfway around the table to Tails, placing his hands on his shoulders.

"You've got a good head on these shoulders, buddy. And no matter what, I trust you to make the right choices." Sonic said, giving his friend a thumbs up, and with that, he returned indoors.

Tails remained in his seat for a few moments, starting at the emerald resting on the table. Then, glancing at the small plant in the yard behind him, he took a deep breath, and picked up the emerald again.

As the sun began to set, bringing another day to a close, Tails found himself reclining in the patio chair in the back yard. He had spent the entire day letting the Chaos energy course through him, letting it build up, and then letting it evaporate, letting it build up just a little bit more each time. After a day of practicing, he figured that harnessing the energy of all seven emeralds, letting it build up, and then releasing it, was how Sonic achieved his Super transformation. But he knew he was a long way from that. And now, he was resting, his fur soaking up the rays of dusk.

"Um, Tails?" a female voice asked from the patio door.

Tails opened his eyes and turned to see Amy in the doorway.

"Oh, hey Amy."

"Listen, I wanted to apologize for my outburst this morning."

"It's alright."

"No, it's not. You're my guest, and I should never have treated you or talked to you that way. I don't want you to blame yourself for what happened, but that's no excuse for what I did. I'm sorry."

Tails smiled. Although he didn't need an apology, he decided to accept it, because Amy felt she needed to.

"Apology accepted."

Amy returned the smile.

"You going to bed soon?"

"Not sure. If it's nice out after the sun goes down, I might stay out here."

"Well, alright, sleep well. G'night."

Amy returned inside and slid the glass door closed. Tails turned back to staring to the darkening horizon, glanced at the plant shuddering with the gentle evening breeze, and closed his eyes and fell asleep in the patio chair.


	6. Doctor Appointment

Seedling

by milesprower06

Chapter 6

Doctor Appointment

When Tails awoke the following morning where he had fallen asleep the night before, his eyes were met with a sight that shocked him beyond belief. With a gasp, he bolted out of the patio chair and slid open the glass door.

"Sonic! Amy! Come here! Look at this!" he exclaimed.

The pair of hedgehogs came out of the kitchen, and were immediately awestruck at what Tails had called them outside for.

The plant, overnight, had grown into a full-sized tree.

"H-h-how? How so fast?" Tails asked, dumbfounded.

"You're the one with the gardening books, buddy." Sonic replied, just as amazed.

"But...trees take months to grow, years to this size..." Tails said, then he noticed something.

Near the top of the tree, embedded and nestled in the bark where the branches split off, was a red crystal. The realization hit him; it looked like a much larger version of Cosmo's ruby amulet...like a cocoon almost.

"The only thing I can imagine is that is somehow harnessed the Chaos energy you were expelling. You were practicing all day yesterday, after all." Sonic suggested. Tails' eyes remained fixed on that red amulet. Then, he began to run around to the front of the house.

"I'll be back, guys. I'm gonna go get help."

They heard the engines of the X-Tornado start up, and moments later, Tails was airborne and rocketed off. The hedgehog's attentions returned to the tree.

"Do you think it could be?" Amy asked.

"I hope so, Amy. I really, really hope so." Sonic said, studying the tree top to bottom.

"I don't want to think what it'll do to him if it isn't."

Sonic kept watch on the tree, with the emerald laying on the table, for 2 hours, when he heard the high-pitch whine of the approaching X-Tornado. He heard it land in front of the house, and moments later, Tails was in the back yard with a rather unexpected guest.

"Eggman?"

The mad scientist gave a curt nod to Sonic, silently acknowledging him from seven feet up in his hovering Eggmobile.

"Out of all the help you could get, you bring _him_ back?" Sonic said, with a bit of humor in his voice.

"He's the only one with scanning equipment powerful enough to give us a clue about what just happened overnight, Sonic."

With that, Tails turned to the Doctor.

"There, that red cocoon like...thing near the top. Try to keep the scans as non-intrusive as possible."

"Alright."

A satellite scanning dish extended out from the bottom of Eggman's hovercraft, and he slowly approached the tree. A series of beeps and chirps emitted from the dish as he conducted his scans, looking them over from his console. After several minutes, he was finished, and returned to Tails on the ground.

"Well, I can't come to any conclusions as to what's in the cocoon, it blocked all the scans, and I'm guessing you don't want to get any more intrusive."

Tails nodded, and Eggman continued.

"As for the tree, it shows signs of hyper-accelerated photosynthesis, most likely due to Chaos energy exposure. And because of that, it might be possible that it's lifespan is just as fast."

This worried Tails.

"So, we don't have long?"

"Like I said, I'm not sure. But if there are other steps to getting that cocoon open, I'd suggest working fast."

Tails gave him a smile.

"Thanks, Eggman."

The scientist, who looked somewhat uncomfortable being here, nodded.

"Well, if there's nothing more, I'll be off."

As he rounded the corner of the house, Sonic gave chase, catching him at the front of the house.

"Yo, Egghead!" he called out.

Eggman stopped his vehicle in the front yard and turned to Sonic, somewhat annoyed that he was being kept here.

"What is it, Sonic?"

"It's not like you to come and help. Feeling guilty?"

Eggman looked angrily offended.

"Is that so hard to accept? Hmm? That I would want some opportunity to redeem myself for aiding the would-be exterminators of the galaxy, however so briefly?"

Sonic crossed his arms.

"And further more, I'm not doing this for you, Sonic." Eggman continued, nodding to the back yard.

"The cost of victory was high, _too_ high in his case. And you forget rather quickly that I was the only one in radio contact with him during that impossible decision. And regardless how hard it is for you to believe, I'd rather not dwell on what I heard during those moments."

Sonic remained silent.

"So if there's nothing more, I have work to do."

And with that, Eggman departed.

Sonic returned to the back yard, and found Tails gazing worriedly at the tree.

"Thanks Sonic. Part of me was worried you'd start a fight on first sight." he said.

"Don't sweat it buddy. So what's next?"

Tails continued looking at the tree, his gaze continually returning to the red amulet at top.

"I don't know. And I'm scared that we might be running out of time."

Author's Note:

Thanks for the reviews. As a fellow fanfic reader, I also get annoyed when time between favorite stories is longer than I'd like.

But I never want to get chapters out at a quicker pace if it means sacrificing quality of my work. And it gets insanely busy out here at times.

So thanks for your patience everyone!

-milesprower06


	7. The Light at the End

Seedling

by milesprower06

Chapter 7

The Light at the End...

What started out as a day of excitement, was now filled with worry for Tails. As he felt they were now short on time, Sonic and Amy nonetheless told him not to over-think the problem, and to approach it slowly and logically.

"What is logical about a tree popping up overnight?" he asked them.

He had them there.

Tails hadn't left the back yard since Eggman departed several hours ago. He remained at the patio, in the chair, staring at the tree.

Just waiting for something to click.

_'What now, Cosmo? What do I do?'_

They were able to convince him to come in for lunch, where he only half-concentrated on his meal. After he ate, he returned outside, the yellow Chaos Emerald in hand. He decided to again take Sonic's advice, and practice again with the Emerald, seeing if it would help his subconscious let go of some of these negative feelings of worry and fear.

Standing in front of the tree, he took a slow, deep breath, and started to let the Chaos energy flow into him. He closed his eyes, and thought of Cosmo, trying to push away the negative thoughts.

Suddenly, his body was filled with warmth. Not the burning he had felt earlier; this was a comforting, soothing, almost embracing warmth that surrounded him. He opened his eyes and exhaled, and something caught his gaze.

At the top of the tree, the ruby cocoon was glowing faintly. Tails' heart skipped a beat. He ran inside, and returned a minute later with a second emerald, the cyan gem.

He repeated what he just attempted, and the energy that flowed and penetrated him felt more intense, faster; he half expected this, as it was a double dose. He held it as long as he felt he could keep the energy within him stable, and then released, and opened his eyes, and was again surprised at what he saw.

The cocoon at the top of the tree glowed a little brighter before dying down again. And what was more, he noticed a faint glowing aura of light around his body that was dissipating. Sonic came out just to see a hint of the aura before it disappeared completely, and noticed the two emeralds in the fox's hands.

"Whoa, take it easy there, bud. You don't want to go too fast."

"Sonic, the amulet up there reacted. It was glowing."

"To your channeling the chaos energy through yourself?"

Tails nodded.

"I want you to do Chaos Regeneration again. Maybe it'll work in it's entirety this time."

Sonic considered his friend's request, and nodded.

"Alright. I'll go get the rest of 'em."

Tails smiled, exhilarated by hope once more. Sonic returned to the patio with the 5 other emeralds, and Amy also came out to see what was up. Sonic arranged the emeralds in a circle, and then stood in the center. Then, he closed his eyes, and began to focus.

The energy seemed to build up so much quicker with Sonic, more than likely due to his experience. The emeralds began to levitate and spin around him, and then moments later, Sonic began to levitate with them. Then, when the emeralds got to a speed where it was becoming difficult to tell the colors apart, Sonic clenched his hands into fists, and the emeralds surrendered their jewel form and penetrated Sonic's levitating form, and he exploded in a burst of bright golden light.

Super Sonic.

His eyes now a fierce crimson red, and his quills now protruding upward, he gave Tails a thumbs up, and flew to the top of the tree, to above the ruby cocoon, and then spread his arms, his figure starting to glow brighter. The glow slowly intensified, and sparks of energy began to emanate from his body.

With these arcs of energy, came the glowing of the amulet at the top of the tree. It got steadily brighter with Sonic's increasing energy output. As a couple minutes passed, Sonic had become a second sun, and finally, the energy exploded in a blinding light; both Amy and Tails had to shield their eyes momentarily.

When they lowered their arms, Sonic was on the ground, at the base of the tree, one knee on the ground, with the dimly glowing Chaos Emeralds around him.

The amulet glowed fiercely, and Tails eagerly waited in rigid anticipation to see what would happen.

His heart sank when the glow slowly died down, and everything was as it was minutes ago.

"Did...did it work?" Sonic asked, getting to his feet, a bit short of breath.

"I...I don't think so." Tails said, disappointment resonating in his voice.

"Don't worry bud. We'll figure it out. You just need a little more time."

Sonic put his hand reassuringly on his friend's shoulder, and then went inside to eat and replenish the energy he just spent. Tails stayed outside, staring at the tree.

The emeralds _had_ to have _something_ to do with it. Why else would the amulet react?

As he sat, and looked at what was only a small seedling just days ago, his disappointment was no longer present.

It was now a fierce determination. He would figure this out. This had come too far not to come to fruition.

Master Emerald Shrine

That night...

Life was simple enough for the red echidna guardian of the Master Emerald. Although the fight against the Meterex had proven quite adventerous, Knuckles preferred it when it was peaceful, and all he had to do was watch over the Master Emerald.

So that night, where everything was shrouded in the cover of night, he was snapped out of his meditative trance when he heard someone coming up the steps of the shrine. Ready to confront whoever it was, his guard was let down when a friendly face came up into view, his topaz fur glowing green from the Master Emerald's aura.

"Tails, what are you doing here?"

"I need your help, Knuckles."

A/N: Again, sorry for the long wait between this one. We're almost done, promise. It's hard to find time to write in this career field. Thanks so much for your patience and attention, and reviews!


	8. Dawn of a New Day, Part 1

Seedling

by milesprower06

Chapter 8

Dawn of a New Day, Part 1

"I'm not sure about this, Tails." Knuckles said, as he carried the Master Emerald into the back yard of Amy's house.

"If you were really doubtful, you wouldn't have dragged it all the way down here. Besides, this has to work." the kitsune replied.

"Why? Why does this have to work?" Knuckles didn't really want to throw a wrench into the fox's plan, not to mention his hope, but he wanted to make sure that Tails absolutely knew what he was doing. The Chaos Emeralds weren't something you played around with.

"Because...I just feel it. It has to. We've tried everything else."

Knuckles remained unconvinced, but knew he wasn't going to talk Tails out of it.

"So what is it, exactly, that you want me to do?" he asked.

"If you can see something go terribly wrong, use the Master Emerald to neutralize the Chaos Energy."

Knuckles again objected.

"You told me your plan on the way over here. The Master Emerald can neutralize the Emerald energy, but that's never been done when they're powering a Super Form. There's no telling what could happen to you if that energy is removed from your body that abruptly."

"I'll take my chances."

Knuckles set the Master Emerald down and approached Tails as he set the 7 emeralds in a circle in front of the tree.

"Tails, you need to _stop_ and _think_. If it didn't work when Sonic tried it, why will it work with you? When you have no experience in achieving or maintaining a Super Form?"

"I _have_ thought about it. All night, Knuckles. Eggman told me we can't be sure of how long this tree will last. Cosmo took a chance to save all of us, save the entire universe. Now if this is the last chance to make this work, then I'm going to take a chance to bring her back."

"And if it doesn't work? If we lose you in the process, is it worth it? Or what if it does work, and you can't bring yourself out of your transformation? Stay in it too long, and you'll vaporize."

"I asked for your help. Are you here to _help_ me, or to try and scare me out of it?"

Knuckles held his tongue for a few seconds.

"Just _be careful_. That's all I'm saying."

The sun was just barely beginning to peak above the horizon, and the ruby at the top of the tree gleamed with the first morning rays, and Tails took one last glance at the jewel cocoon, and stepped into the middle of the circle, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

The energy came much faster than ever before. It was nearly overwhelming, but Tails held fast; he knew that for this to work, his love for Cosmo and his determination to bring her back had to be stronger than this energy entering him.

Knuckles stood and watched as the emeralds began to levitate and spin around Tails, slowly growing brighter. He noted that Tails' concentration seemed just a little strained, but he seemed to be doing alright.

The emeralds spun faster and faster, and became glowing orbs of light. Tails levitated higher and higher, now almost 10 feet off the ground. Suddenly, the emeralds rushed towards him and melted into his body, and he exploded in a flash of light, causing Knuckles to momentarily shield his eyes.

When he lowered his arms, there floated Tails, a bright yellow, an aura of golden flames surrounding his body, crimson eyes, and for the first time in his life, sustaining flight without the help of his tails or his machines.

Super Tails.

A/N: This was planned on being one, long, last chapter, but as things have not died down here, I've decided to split it into three parts, in order to give you folks more content. Hope you understand. -mp06


	9. Dawn of a New Day, Part 2

Seedling

by milesprower06

Chapter 9

Dawn of a New Day, Part 2

Tails' super form's brilliant aura provided the back yard with more light than the slowly rising sun. Knuckles stood on the ground in awe.

Tails drew in a few deep breaths, nearly overwhelmed by this rush of pure energy, and then wasted no time. He zoomed over to the tree, and landed at the top, directly next to the ruby cocoon. He leaned down, and placed both hands on it, and willed this new energy into the tree. He built it up, and released it, pulse after pulse, just as he had practiced.

Unbeknownst to him, due to his concentration, his aura was intensifying considerably. The light breached the windows of the upstairs bedrooms, and this brought Sonic and Amy downstairs.

"What's happening?" Sonic said, running out into the backyard.

"He's going for it." Knuckles said. This threw Sonic into a panic.

"Are you insane? He hasn't had enough practice!" he objected, as the light grew brighter. Rays of light emanated from the orb on the tree.

"I told him my concerns, he told me yours, and he made his decision. It's too late to turn back."

"He's gonna get himself killed!"

"I'm ready to help."

Sonic fought off the panic and got angry.

"Then use that Master Emerald and neutralize the emeralds!"

"Not yet. Give him a chance."

"To what, vaporize himself?"

The argument was cut short by a deafening blast and increased glow from the top of the tree.

"Kn-nuckles!" Tails screamed over the blast.

"That evidence enough?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic, he's so close, I can feel it."

"Close isn't enough! Stop him, now!"

Knuckles ran over to the Master Emerald, and brought it to the tree, the glow still blindingly intense.

"The seven emeralds are the servers. Chaos is power, enriched by the heart."

The large green emerald began to rapidly spin, and it's glow grew just as powerful as the gold light at the top of the tree. The Master Emerald let off a green explosion of light seconds before the glow at the top of the tree filled the backyard with white light, and then there was an ear-splitting shattering sound.

"Tails!"

A/N – If anyone wants to give me an internet butt kicking for making you guys wait so long, I'll understand. Just one more chapter and we're done.


	10. Dawn of a New Day, Part 3

Seedling

by milesprower06

Chapter 10

Dawn of a New Day, Part 3

The blue hedgehog's emerald green eyes were locked on the topaz fox, unconscious on the couch, completely motionless save for the light rising and falling of the chest.

Standing on the other side of the couch, eyes equally looked onto the sleeping kitsune, was a pale and green Seedrian.

"I never wanted him to do anything that would put him in danger. I mean, it was a long shot at best. I...I never thought he'd come up with something so quickly. But he's always been resourceful." Cosmo stated.

"Well, I don't think any of us would've been able to convince him otherwise. Besides, it worked." Knuckles added.

"But why? Don't get me wrong, I'm as glad as the rest of you that it ended up working, but I thought you neutralized the Chaos Energy instantly? He shouldn't have been able to finish." Sonic said.

"That's because I didn't neutralize it. I gave him the small boost he needed."

"What? How?"

"The Master Emerald doesn't just neutralize Chaos Energy. It _controls_ it. Meaning, for a brief time, that energy can be enhanced. Which is exactly what Tails needed. Besides, I don't think I would've stopped him even if you had warned me earlier."

"Why not?"

"Because you didn't truly understand what this meant to Tails. If you stopped him when he was so close, I don't think he would've ever been able to forgive you, no matter how good your intentions. The choice was his to make, and the chance, his to take. You had no say."

"But why didn't he wait? Hone his powers until it was sure to work?" Cosmo asked.

"Because the tree grew to full size overnight. We weren't sure what that meant for it's overall life cycle. He thought that the window was opportunity was closing fast. I guess we'll never know if that was true." Amy answered.

"Sonic, I know you care about him. You've seen him, treated him, and loved him like a younger brother. But sometimes, he has to make his own choices."

Suddenly, Tails took in a deep breath, his back arching up for a second as he did so, and Cosmo immediately came close, and took his hands in hers.

"Tails, it's alright. It's me. You did it."

Her deep sapphire eyes met his sky blue ones as they fluttered open, soon joined by tears pricking the corners of his eyelids.

"C-C-Cosmo...? Cosmo!"

Tails bolted up and threw his arms around the Seedrian, and she immediately returned the embrace.

"It worked! Oh my gosh it worked!" Tails said, unable to say anything else as tears of joy overtook him.

They held each other for the longest time, separated, and seem content just to sit there on the couch and stare into each others eyes, smiling.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER

After the joyfulness of that morning's accomplishment subsided, they went to preparing a scrumptious breakfast for five. As they ate, they filled Cosmo in on what had happened in the short weeks since the Meterex had been defeated. Then, as Sonic finished what was on his plate, he got up and began to head out the back door.

"Hey buddy, when you're done, can I talk to you out back?"

"Sure, Sonic."

It was 10 more minutes before Tails was satisfied, due to the enormous amounts of energy he used that morning. He excused himself from the table and met Sonic out in the backyard by the tree, it's leaves shuddering beautifully in the morning breeze, still in full bloom.

"Hey buddy. Listen, I...I want to apologize."

Tails looked at him quizzically.

"Apologize? For what?"

"For not having faith in you, or your new abilities. If it had been up to me in my panic this morning, I would've sapped that energy before you had finished. And who knows if you would've gotten another chance. I should've trusted you, like I said I would when you first started practicing."

Tails smiled at him, not seemingly affected by what Sonic just admitted.

"No big deal, Sonic. You always look at every challenge thrown at you with unlimited confidence. So that's what I did when I made my decision last night. I just looked at the tree, and I asked myself what you would do. I just knew that if I believed in myself, I could make anything happen. Because I knew if I couldn't do it alone, I'd always have my friends there to back me up."

"Thanks, pal. That means a lot."

"No, thank you, Sonic. You convinced me to come down here. And don't give it another thought. We all make mistakes. Just...well, thanks for not making that one."

Tails smiled again, taking the whole thing lightheartedly. After all, everything had worked out.

"No problem, buddy."

A/N:

To anyone still reading, I'd like to thank you profusely for your inexplicable patience with me getting this finished up. That's the main reason why I prefer to finish a story completely before I even begin posting it. I made the mistake of thinking if I posted content up before more was ready, than reviews of content I had up would push me to write more.

Clearly, that was not the case, and I apologize for my continued procrastination. Truth is, I had plenty of opportunities out here on the road to get some writing done here and there, and I didn't. But here's my promise that it won't happen again. Next, I'm hoping to delve into another franchise in the coming weeks. I hope there are some Bronies in my current group of fans...

Until next time!

-milesprower06


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